Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

In Vivo Augmentation of Gut-Homing Regulatory T Cell Induction
Published on: January 22, 2020
Intrahepatic IL-8 producing Foxp3⁺CD4⁺ regulatory T cells and fibrogenesis in chronic hepatitis C
Bettina Langhans1, Benjamin Krämer, Marcell Louis
1Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. bettina.langhans@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Background & Aims:
Regulatory CD4(+) T cells (Tregs) are considered to affect outcomes of HCV infection, because they increase in number during chronic hepatitis C and can suppress T-cell functions.
Methods:
Using microarray analysis, in situ immunofluorescence, ELISA, and flowcytometry, we characterised functional differentiation and localisation of adaptive Tregs in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Results:
We found substantial upregulation of IL-8 in Foxp3(+)CD4(+) Tregs from chronic hepatitis C. Activated GARP-positive IL-8(+) Tregs were particularly enriched in livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C in close proximity to areas of fibrosis and their numbers were correlated with the stage of fibrosis. Moreover, Tregs induced upregulation of profibrogenic markers TIMP1, MMP2, TGF-beta1, alpha-SMA, collagen, and CCL2 in primary human hepatic stellate cells (HSC). HSC activation, but not Treg suppressor function, was blocked by adding a neutralizing IL-8 antibody.
Conclusions:
Our studies identified Foxp3(+)CD4(+) Tregs as an additional intrahepatic source of IL-8 in chronic hepatitis C acting on HSC. Thus, Foxp3(+)CD4(+) Tregs in chronic hepatitis C have acquired differentiation as regulators of fibrogenesis in addition to suppressing local immune responses.
Related Concept Videos
Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are large...
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Cirrhosis II: Pathophysiology

